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Re: A rose by any other name....



James Purchase wrote:
|
| The recent discussion regarding the correct common name for the
| American-Flag Fish (Jordanella floridae) deserves a bit of attention.
| Dwight's habit of using all three names for this little beauty might lull
| him into thinking that he is eliminating any possible confusion but I
don't
| think that it is having that effect. Especially as he continues to use
what
| appears to be a local name (i.e. "Florida Flag Fish" or FFF) as his
lead-in
| in his posts and remarks.
|
| The fish is "officially" Jordanella floridae. No other fish known to
science
| has this name. Anyone using this name can rest assured that anyone,
| anywhere, will know what they are talking about. It doesn't matter if the
| reader is in Europe, America, Australia or Japan - they will all know
WHICH
| fish is being discussed when the scientific name is used.

I reply:

I for one appreciate Dwight's use of all the variants this fish is known by.
Florida Flag Fish isn't used only in Florida, but is also used in the
petstores here in the So Calif Desert. Dwight isn't confusing the issue for
me at all, but clarifying it. By using the common name(s) along with the
scientific name, he's helping me and I'm sure many others to learn the
scientific name. Many times us newbies don't have easy access to reference
books to look up each scientific name that appears in these threads. I for
one am helped immensely by common names being mentioned along with the
scientific names so I can possibly know what is being discussed without
having to spend hours looking up each scientific name. Frankly, when only
scientific names are mentioned that I'm not familiar with, I just have to
skip over the whole post because I don't have endless time to look up every
one. Remember, some of us are newbies without the experience and education
that others have. I didn't think those were required to participate in this
forum.

Brenda
Watergardening in the Desert!